


Picking Sides

by old_and_new_friends



Series: Mako's Lovers [10]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Book 2: Spirits, Domestic Disputes, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Peacekeepers, Relationship Study, Water Tribe Civil War, almost break up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29512311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/old_and_new_friends/pseuds/old_and_new_friends
Summary: When the argument over Mako reporting Korra to Raiko escalates, Mako picks a side, and Korra does the same.
Relationships: Korra/Mako (Avatar)
Series: Mako's Lovers [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095230
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	Picking Sides

**Author's Note:**

> This is a what-if story where Mako and Korra actually talk to each other about what was going on in season two before they broke up (the first time).
> 
> If this seems anti-Korra, it's not. I do genuinely like her but in season two she was acting erratically and I know why (Hi Varrick and Unalaq) but that still doesn't change the fact that she was hurting the people trying to help her. 
> 
> Korra (led by Varrick) was in the wrong here and I stand firm on that. 
> 
> These stories are me exploring my take on relationships Mako could potentially be in and I personally think Mako and Korra needed better communication, particularly Korra. Mako also reassures and validates Korra in this story because that's what Korra is actually searching for in season two.
> 
> That being said, some people may not like this story and that's fine, do me a favor and x out instead of leaving a rude comment. Thanks!

Mako’s stomach had been twisting all day. He knew he had done the right thing, that Korra was spiraling in her attempt to fix things and would only make them worse if she kept at it. That didn’t make waiting until she found out any better.

The door to the police station went flying open.

Mako closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Korra marched up to him.

“You ratted me out to the President?” Korra yelled.

“Korra, let me explain,” Mako said, holding his hands out in peace.

“Explain why my boyfriend stabbed me in the back?” Korra demanded. Mako sighed, having expected the response.

“Look, the President of the Republic asked me a direct question. What was I supposed to do?” Mako asked. Mako wasn’t willing to commit treason against his home country by assisting in the theft of its military. Mako couldn’t help but wonder if Korra even realized the implications of what she was doing.

“You betrayed me, and my family,” Korra yelled, kicking his desk aside with airbending.

Something in Mako snapped.

“I’m saving you!” Mako yelled.

Korra paused, the statement having thrown her off enough to settle her down slightly.

“How is reporting me to the president saving me?” Korra asked, crossing her arms.

“Korra, I don’t know who told you what you just tried to do was a good idea but you just tried to steal a foreign military as the Avatar,” Mako said. “Not just the Avatar, as a member of the Southern Water Tribe, too. You can’t just do that! Look I know you’re mad at me now, but I was only acting in your best interest to stop you from making another mistake. You aren’t thinking things through Korra and you’re going to get hurt.”

Korra shook her head and turned away. “You’re not my father, Mako,” Korra said, “stop acting like him. I thought you had my back on this.”

“I do!” Mako yelled, not caring that I made nearly everyone in the room jump. “I do have your back, even if it means protecting your back from yourself. There’s more going on here than meets the eye and you’re never going to figure out what it is if you keep running off to the next battle. We need to solve one problem at a time or we are going to miss something. You’re asking for one person to be on your side. I’m right here, Korra, but are you?”

Korra opened her mouth slightly before closing it and looking at him in confusion.

“Are you on my side, Korra?” Mako asked, more directly. “Will you be the one person in this stupid city who actually listens to me when I say that bombing wasn’t the Northern Water Tribe? Do you even care what my thoughts are on any of this, or do you want me to just follow you around and let you do whatever even as it hinders your cause? I’m on your side, but you have to meet me halfway. It’s not fair that you keep asking for my opinion and then getting mad at me when it’s not what you want to hear. That’s not how this works, and if you can’t listen to me then I don’t think this relationship is going anywhere.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Korra whispered.

“That depends on you,” Mako said, softly. He didn’t want to break up with her, but he wasn’t going to let Korra keep yelling at him. “Are you going to ignore everything I just said and continue on as you have been or are you actually going to pause and take a look at what’s happening around you before you try to steal another military.”

“That’s not what happened,” Korra objected.

“Isn’t it?” Mako said. “You were about to escalate a civil war into a world war. Maybe we should ask who would have an interest in that because it seems like whoever gave you that advice and whoever planted that bomb have a common goal.”

“More war,” Korra said, looking down at the ground. She seemed to be thinking as her face crumpled in concentration. Mako smiled slightly, as it was a very cute expression. “Varrick was the one who suggested going to General Iroh.”

Korra took off towards the doors of the police station.

Mako grabbed her arms before she could do so.

She looked up at him sheepishly. “Sorry, no rushing,” Korra said. “What do you know.”

“Not much,” Mako said, moving over to his, now upside down, desk. He ignored the glances his coworkers were giving him even as they pretended to go back to work.

“What the Flameo was all that noise?” Chief Beifong said, coming out of her office.

“Domestic dispute. Don’t worry about it,” Mako said, grabbing the remote detonator. He walked back over to Korra even as Chief Beifong watched the two of them closely.

“I found this at the bombing,” Mako said. “It’s a remote detonator. I’ve never seen one before, but then before the Equalists we didn’t see a lot of tech before. What I’m saying is, these things are distinctive, meaning someone is making them and they are probably the only one making them.”

“Find more, find the bad guy, kick his ass,” Korra said, nodding. She paused slightly. “Then what? How does this stop the civil war?”

“It doesn’t, but it gets us one step closer,” Mako said. “Without someone trying to escalate the war, the North and South may be able to reach stability, particularly with the Avatar to guide them.”

“But Unalaq is planning something,” Korra said, her eyes bright with some unnamed emotion. “I can feel it. He won’t just allow peace. He’s after something.”

“He’s only one man. We can figure that out too,” Mako said. “One step at a time. You and Me. If it’s too big for just us, we’ll cross that bridge when we reach it.”

“You won’t have to cross it alone,” Chief Beifong said. “Why didn’t you mention this before, kid?”

“I tried, you yelled at me to get out and those two ignored me,” Mako said, glaring at Lu and Gang.

Chief Beifong followed his gaze and rolled her eyes. “I’ll deal with that later,” she said. “You’ve got my permission to go looking into this. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Yes, Chief,” Mako said, watching in shock as she went back to her office.

“Well detective,” Korra said, “looks like we have a case to solve, and I know where to start.”

“Put me down!” Varrick yelled. “What’s this even about? Why are you so intimidatingly strong? Zhu Li! Do the thing!”

Mako watched with great amusement at Korra held Varrick’s head inside Naga’s mouth. Zhu Li didn’t seem particularly interested in doing whatever the thing was or helping the man out.

“Why’d you send me after the Republic City military knowing it would only escalate things?” Korra demanded.

“It’s already escalated!” Varrick said. “Our own people we bombed!”

“Uh,” Bolin said, walking up to the group in a very strange costume. “Why is Korra trying to kill Varrick?”

“He deserves it,” Mako said, doing a double take when he saw what Bolin was wearing. “What are you wearing?”

“Nuktuk costume,” Bolin said.

Mako squinted at his brother. “And what exactly is this mover or whatever about?” Mako asked. If he had to guess he’d think his brother was playing a Water Tribe stripper.

“Oh well, Nuktuk is a man from the Southern Water Tribe who gets embroiled in war and ends up defeating the evil Unalaq who stole my girlfriend,” Bolin said.

Mako squinted at Bolin before looking back at Varrick. That sounded like anti-northern war propaganda.

“Is there a lot of action sequences in this story?” Mako asked.

“Sure, all sorts of explosions,” Bolin said. “See Mako, I told you, you’d like it if you gave it a shot.”

“Right,” Mako said, glancing at Korra. He slipped from the room and towards the sound stage. He slipped towards the equipment and there at the back was a remote detonator that looked a lot like the one in Mako’s hand.

“Mako?” Korra asked.

Mako startled and hit his head on the beam above him.

“Ow,” he said, rubbing lightly at it. “Why’d you stop interrogating Varrick?”

“He fainted when Naga growled at him and I noticed you were missing,” Korra said. “Did you find something?”

“Yeah,” Mako said, “more remotes, and that this film Varrick is making is a propaganda film. Varrick’s inciting the war, likely for profit.”

“That jerk,” Korra said, marching back towards the room. When she walked it the only one left in the room was Bolin who was out cold.

“I’ll go call Beifong,” Mako said.

“Well, that did nothing,” Korra said, as she sat on the steps outside the police station. “We didn’t even catch them.”

“No, but now we have one less enemy and the world knows it was Varrick who bombed the Southern Center,” Mako said. “It counts for something and now we can focus our attentions on figuring out what Unalaq is after.”

“I guess,” Korra said. “I suppose I’m just worried about what’s coming next.”

“Whatever it is,” Mako said, bumping his shoulder against Korra’s, “you won’t be alone with it. I promise. I know people have let you down in the past, that I’ve let you down in the past, but I don’t want that to happen again.”

They fell silent even as Korra slipped her hand into Mako’s.

“I’m sorry,” Korra said. “For doubting you. I should have listened to you more.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Mako said. “I wasn’t exactly talking, at least not about what I should have been. I guess we have to work on that.”

“Yeah,” Korra said. “Are we going to be okay?”

“I think we’ll have to work at it,” Mako said, “but yes.”

Korra smiled up at him before pulling him into a kiss. Mako melted into it, as he often did, and pulled her closer.

“I want you to know, Korra,” Mako said, pulling back, “that no matter what happens next, I’m on your side, even when you think I’m not. Whatever you need, Korra, I’ll be it for you. I’ll follow you into battle, no matter how crazy things get. I've got your back and I always will.”

Mako rubbed his thumb over Korra’s cheek. Korra smiled brightly.

“We can be on each other’s sides,” Korra said. Mako closed his eyes, once again wondering where his girlfriend learned the notion of sides and why she put so much stock into them. He didn’t bother asking and instead he looked down at her with a smile.

“I’d like that,” Mako said, before kissing Korra again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Next Week is Mako/Wing: The Other Brother.


End file.
